combust
[kuh m-buhst]
verb (used with or without object)
to burn.
Nearby words
- combings,
- combining form,
- combining weight,
- combo,
- combo store,
- combustible,
- combustion,
- combustion chamber,
- combustion engine,
- combustion tube
Origin of combust
1325–75; Middle English < Latin combūstus (past participle of combūrere to burn up, equivalent to com- com- + -ūs- variant stem of ūrere to burn + -tus past participle suffix; -b- by misanalysis of ambūrere, another derivative, as am- + -būrere)
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for combust
When Venus and Mercury were ‘combust’ their influence was lost.
Astronomical Lore in Chaucer|Florence M. GrimmAll astrologers agree that a planet is fortified by this position, but a planet when combust is very evil in its influences.
The Influence of the Stars|Rosa BaughanA planet was said to be combust when its light was extinguished by proximity to the sun.
Astronomical Lore in Chaucer|Florence M. GrimmVenus and Mercury, when thus 'combust,' lost their influence.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 (of 7)|Geoffrey Chaucer
combust
adjective
verb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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combust
late 14c. as an adjective, "burnt," from Old French combust (14c.), from Latin combustus, past participle of combuere "to burn up, consume" (see combustion). Also an astrological term for planets when near the sun. The verb is attested from late 15c. Related: Combusted; combusting.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper